With its high-end materials and luxury features, the Alpha tiny house, by New Frontier Tiny Homes, made a big splash last year, so it was with considerable interest that we learned the firm has revealed its successor, the Escher. The dwelling features a similar overall design to the Alpha, but includes some important tweaks to make it suitable for use as a full-time home for a family of three.

New Frontier Tiny Homes boss David Latimer was originally approached by a couple who wanted to commission an Alpha, but after finding out how they intended to use the home, he suggested some changes be made and the Escher was born.

The Escher (named after the new owners' child), is based on a 33 ft (10 m)-long triple-axle trailer and clad in Western Red Cedar siding, Shou Sugi Ban-treated cedar (the Japanese method of charring wood to preserve it) and metal accenting. It's topped by a seam metal roof and includes the same novel garage-like door and awning as the Alpha, which raise upwards to open up the home to the outside, as well as sliding glass doors.

The Escher's large dining table

New Frontier Tiny Homes

The tiny house has a total floorspace of around 300 sq ft (27.8 sq m). Its main living area is enlivened by a feature wall created in collaboration with furniture maker 1767 Designs. A custom stow-away dining table with two benches is hidden under the stairs that can seat up to 12 adults.

The Escher's kitchen looks really high end and includes porcelain countertops and copper detailing

New Frontier Tiny Homes

Still in the kitchen, Japanese-style Shoji paper doors slide open to reveal the Escher's main bedroom in the gooseneck area of the trailer. There isn't much space left in there to move around, but the ceiling looks a lot higher than a typical tiny house loft bedroom and includes a king size bed with integrated storage space.

Back over on the other side of the home, New Frontier Tiny Homes installed an office with a bi-fold standing desk. The home office also provides access to the child's room, a smaller loft-style bedroom, which is reached with a fancy-looking solid oak ladder. The bathroom is accessed from the office, too (hidden behind a sliding door), and includes a tiled shower, sink, composting toilet, and a large walk-in closet.

The Escher is kept at a comfortable temperature with a Mitsubishi mini-split HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) unit and illuminated with LED lighting. It's hooked up to the grid, but is also wired to be off-grid ready, should the owners wish to install solar panels.

As you've may have guessed, buyers pay a premium for all the extra work and quality materials that go into this one and it starts at US$139,900 – joining the likes of the Vintage Glam Tiny House at the luxury end of the market.

Tags

Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.

2 comments

Sign in to post a comment. Please keep comments to less than 150 words. No abusive material or spam will be published.

BobSeptember 14, 2017 09:53 PM

A few good ideas but still a cold, sterile looking place. No curtains or carpets to quiet the noise. At $139,000 you could buy a much nicer motor home with more a comfortable living space.

dougspairOctober 13, 2017 10:42 AM

.No mention of the big, and likely expensive, (Diesel) truck to tow this thing....